Wild In The Country - 20th Century Fox 1961

On November 6, 1960, Elvis flew to California to begin working on pre-production for his seventh feature film 'Wild In The Country'.

In 'Wild In The Country' Elvis plays the young rebel Glenn Tyler. After a fight with his drunk brother, who is badly injured, his father rejects him. Glenn is put under care of his uncle by a court. Because of a love-affair and other circumstances he gets into trouble in the little town again, until the people find out he is innocent. Glenn moves and goes to college elsewhere, finally he achieves little success as a writer. After a scandal results from false rumor of an affair between her and Glenn, Irene Sperry, played by Hope Lange, attempts suicide. In the original ending she succeeds. Preview audiences did not like this ending, so on Monday February 6, 1961, Elvis was called back to Hollywood to re-shoot the ending of the movie with Irene surviving.

Originally, the dramatic movie was not going to be a musical, but eventually Elvis' character's singing was written into the story. Elvis recorded six songs for the movie, which included the title song 'Wild In The Country', 'I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell', 'In My Way', 'Husky Dusky Day', 'Lonely Man' and 'Forget Me Never'. The last two were cut from the movie. The 20th Century Fox film finished principal photography in January 1961 and premiered in Memphis on June 15, 1961. Elvis did not attend the premiere.

The screenplay was written by Clifford Odets, based on the novel 'The Lost Country', by J. R. Salamanca. In the book, Elvis' character Glenn was an artist, and the character of Irene Sperry was a teacher. In the film, Glenn is a troubled youth and would-be writer and Irene is court-appointed to give him psychological counseling.

Wild In The Country - French Movie Poster

Hope Lange played Elvis' court appointed counselor, Irene Sperry. Hope Lange, born Nov. 23, 1933, was only 13 months older than Elvis in real life, but was cast in this more mature role as counselor and mentor. Already a twelve-year veteran of Broadway, Lange made her movie debut in the film 'Bus Stop' with Marilyn Monroe and Don Murray. (In 1956, Murray became Lange's first husband.) She went on to star in films such as 'The Young Lions', 'In Love and War' and 'Peyton Place', for which she was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for the TV production 'That Certain Summer'. Lange won two Emmy Awards in 1969 and 1970 for her leading role in the TV series 'The Ghost & Mrs. Muir'. Her most recent role was in the 1998 production 'Before He Wakes'.

Tuesday Weld played Elvis' cousin Noreen. Born Susan Ker Weld, she became a child model and the family breadwinner shortly after her father's death when she was three years old. Her turmoil-filled youth was fueled by her on-screen persona as a teenage sex kitten. She appeared in such films as 'Return To Peyton Place', 'Bachelor Flat', 'I'll Take Sweden', and 'Pretty Poison'. She starred as Thalia in the TV series 'The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'. Weld won a Golden Globe Award in 1960 as 'Most Promising Female Newcomer'. She was nominated for a second Golden Globe for her performance in the 1972 film 'Play It As It Lays'. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting role in the 1977 film 'Looking For Mr. Goodbar'. In the 1988 film 'Heartbreak Hotel' (set in 1972), Weld plays an Elvis fan whose unhappy life prompts her son to kidnap Elvis Presley and bring him to her to cheer her up.

Tuesday Weld and Elvis Presley in Wild In The Country

Millie Perkins played Elvis' girlfriend Betty Lee in 'Wild In The Country'. Her other films include the lead role in the 1959 film 'The Diary of Anne Frank' and the 1964 'Ensign Pulver'. She has performed in a number of TV roles that include such series as 'Wagon Train', 'Knots Landing', 'Murder She Wrote' (starring Angela Lansbury, who played Elvis' character's mother in 'Blue Hawaii'), 'Thirtysomething', and 'Touched By An Angel'. In an ironic twist of fate, Perkins played the role of Elvis' mother Gladys Presley in the 1990 television series 'Elvis'. One of her more recent roles is a recurring character on the Lifetime Television series 'Any Day Now'. Reflecting upon working with Elvis in 'Wild in the Country', Perkins said she thought Elvis 'was drifting' during the filming, that he was always surrounded by his entourage, that he was embarrassed by the way the script would have him lead into a song. She quoted him as saying 'God, this is so embarrassing. Nobody would ever do this in real life. Why are they making me do this?' She also said, 'He never used his star power - never. Maybe he should have'. Exterior shots for 'Wild In The Country' were filmed in the Napa Valley of California wine country.

Wild In The Country

It was during the filming of this movie that Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker first read a newspaper article on the floundering attempts to raise funds to build the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. Parker and Elvis both had a great love for the islands and for America as a whole. He and Elvis came up with the idea of Elvis doing a benefit concert there in March of 1961 - a concert that raised over $62,000, the single largest donation to the cause. More importantly, it brought the kind of public and press attention needed to re-energize the project, which had long been planned as a memorial to the lives lost aboard the U.S.S. Arizona in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Elvis performed the benefit concert on March 25, 1961 while in Hawaii for the production of his film 'Blue Hawaii'. The memorial was completed and opened to the public in 1962.

It was during the filming of 'Wild in the Country' that Elvis celebrated his 26th birthday on the set. The cast and crew gave him a plaque which read 'Happy Birthday, King Karate'. Elvis had come back from his service in the US Army with an intense interest in the martial arts. He'd earned his first degree black belt in July of 1960 and would go on to receive two eighth degree black belts in two different forms of martial arts.

The title song 'Wild In The Country' peaked on the US charts at #26, while it reached #4 on the British charts. While the American reviews were lukewarm, David Cardwell of Britain's 'New Musical Express' wrote 'Wild in the Country' is Elvis' best so far!...There is only one way to describe Presley's performance - superb!'

Wild In The Country - Movie Poster

Gary Lockwood played Cliff Macy and in 1963 co-starred with Elvis again in 'It Happened At The World's Fair'. Lockwood had roles in such films as 'Splendor In the Grass', 'Stand Up And Be Counted' and '2001: A Space Odyssey', as well as numerous guest appearances on TV series.

While Buttram was well known for his roles in westerns with Gene Autry and his role as Mr. Haney in the TV series 'Green Acres', he was also a voice artist in a number of Disney animated movies such as 'The Aristocats', 'Robin Hood', 'The Rescuers', 'The Fox and The Hound', 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit', and 'A Goofy Movie'. In 1982, he founded the Golden Boot Award to honor actors, directors, stunt people and others in the industry who had made significant contributions to the Western film genre. Proceeds from the annual event are donated to the Motion Picture Health and Welfare Fund. (Not to be confused with the Golden Boot Awards given by RCA to Elvis and their artists for hit country songs.) Buttram also appeared in the 1964 Elvis film 'Roustabout'.

Red West, Elvis' high school friend and member of his entourage, had his first speaking part in 'Wild In The Country' as Hank Tyler. He would go on to become a well-known character actor and stunt man.

Rudd Weatherwax, dog trainer for films such as 'Lassie Come Home', 'Hondo', and 'Old Yeller', owned Rosy the Irish Setter, used as Hope Lange's character's dog in 'Wild In The Country'. It was Rosy's screen debut.

Producer Jerry Wald had enjoyed a successful career that included producing films such as 'Mildred Pierce', 'Johnny Belinda', 'Flamingo Road', 'Peyton Place', 'The Long Hot Summer', and 'Sons and Lovers'. He received several Academy Award nominations over the years and received the Academy's Irving G. Thalberg Award in 1949 for 'Johnny Belinda'. Wald died of a heart attack in 1962 at age 51.

'Wild in the Country' director Philip Dunne was likely better known for his screenplay writing. He received Academy Award nominations for his writing in the movies 'How Green Way My Valley' and 'David and Bathsheba'. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the screenplay 'The Agony and the Ecstasy'.

'Wild in the Country' cinematographer William C. Mellor won Academy Awards for his work in 'A Place In The Sun' (1952) and again in 1960 for 'The Diary of Anne Frank' (1960).

Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever.

This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.

The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.

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Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley's songs are unforgettable - they have stood the test of time, especially his singles of the 1950s, a decade in which he had a song at No. 1. for 59 weeks and 4 No. 1 albums ('56-'59). Read More.